Stocking-supporter.



Patented Apr. 30, l90l.

E. CHRISTOPHERSEN, In. STOCKING SUPPORTER.

(Application filed Apr. 13 1900.) (No Model.)

B) g m ATTORNEY WITNESSES wyE/v 10/; wmwmm uonms w'zrzas 0a., Puoro mum, WASHINGTON, o. c.,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD OHRISTOPHERSEN, JR., OF EAST ORANGE, NEWV JERSEY, AS-

SIGNOR IO CONSOLIDATEDSAFETY PIN COMPANY, OF BLOOMFIELD,

NEW JERSEY.

STOCKlNG-SUPPORTE R'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,1 1 1, dated April 30, 1901.

Application filed April 13, 1900. Serial No. 12,-731. kllo model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ED WARD Orirns'rornaa- SEN, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have made and invented certain new -and useful. Improvements in Stocking-Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in stocking-supporters, and more particularly to that kind or class thereof wherein a loop and stud members are employed, the latter entering the former and holding or clamping the fabric therein.

One object of my invention is to so construct the loop member of the fastener that all danger of the stud becoming accidentally disengaged therefrom will be overcome. Further, to form the loop of round wire instead of stamping it from sheet metal, as is now commonly done, the wire being shaped by means of suitable tools with but few operations, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture to a minimum.

A further object of my invention is to so form the loop that there will be no danger of the metal cutting the fabric to which it is attached; and with these and other ends in View it consists in certain novel features of construction, as will be hereinafter fully de-' scribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of my improved fastener applied to a portion of a stocking or other garment. Fig. 2 is a view taken on the line 2 2'of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detached front View of the loop. Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a front end view of the loop.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a portion of a garter; to one end of which is secured a stud member (not shown) made in the usual way and of the usual form, said garter A having a piece or section O, formed on or secured thereto, the free end of the latter having attached thereto the loop member, wherein resides my present invention. This loop is preferably made from round wire and is shaped as shown in the several figures of the drawings, and consists of the sides D, formed of compound curves, the upper free ends of which are so bent as to approximately meet, and are protected and concealed by means of the collar or tube E. From the upper por= tion of the loop the curved sides D D converge toward their lower portions, the lower or extreme end of the loop being bent backwardly to form the spring-tongue F, saidtongue F' being of a width less than the width of the loop portion opposite thereto,and thereby able to exert its pressure intermediate of the opposite loop portion to more firmly hold the garment in the loop portion. Near the lower end of the loop the wires composing the sides D D are slightly struck or bent upwardly, forming the humps G, the latter being located under or opposite the endof the spring-tongue and extending toward the same, the end of said tongue and humps acting to prevent the stud member from being with drawn from the loop, as hereinafter described.

In practice the stud member, covered by.

the fabric to which the article is to be fastened, is passed between the sides D of the loop and forced downwardly under the springtongue F, the stud and fabric riding over the humps G and into the lower end of the loop H, Fig. 4:, said spring-tongue being slightly forced in a direction away from said hump, while the stud member passes over the same. By this construction and arrangement of parts it will be seen that the spring-tongue and humps coact to retain the stud in the lower portion ofthe loop and prevent its accidental disengagement therefrom, the tension of the spring-tongue being such as to require a slight pull upon the stud member in order to withdraw the latter by riding it over the humps G, and thereby forcing said spring-tongue slightly outward.

As any pull upon the stud member while in position within the loop hasa slight tendency to open the ends of. said loop, I prefer to flatten said spring-tongue, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, this shape also slightly lessening the tension of the spring in adirection to and away from the loop and rendering it more convenient to insert and withdraw the stud than in the case where the wires forming the tongue are left round, and consequently stiffer. Again, it will be seen that should the pull of the stud member upon the lower end of the loop cause the wires to slightly open the cloth or fabric is liable to be pinched or caught between said wires when they again close, and in order to obviate this danger I prefer to bend or shape the wires so that they remain separated up to the point where the spring-tongue begins to parallel the sides of the loop, as illustrated in Fig. 5. In other words, the wires are separated a sufficient distance to prevent any pinching of the cloth orfabric at the lower end of the loop, where said wires are bent around to form the tongue F.

I am aware that loop members of stockingsupporters have been formed by bending the lower end of the loop backwardly, such bent end, however, extending outwardly at an angle from the body portion to form a wedgeshaped spacein which the stud memberis held by a wedging action of said bent end. I am also aware that said loops have had their lower portion provided with humps or thickened portions, but such are dilferentiated from my invention in that the bent end or springtongue of my improved loop has no wedging action, but acts purely and simply as a spring in order to prevent the stud member from riding backwardly over the humps Gr at'ter once having been passed over or beyond the same.

Having fully described my'invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The loop member of a stocking-supporter, constructed of wire, and having its sides converging toward the lower end, said lower end being bent backwardly to form a springtongue substantially parallel with the sides of said loop, the wire forming said tongue being flattened in a plane parallel to the sides of the loop, said sides being provided with humps or projections opposite to and extending toward said spring-tongue, whereby the stud member is held in said loop and between said sides and prevented from riding backwardly over said humps by said flattened spring-tongue, substantially as set forth.

2. A stocking-supporter, consisting of a loop proper, the sides of which converge toward theirlower end and are bent backwardly to form a spring tongue substantially parallel with said loop proper, the sides of said loop being separated to a point where said tongue becomes parallel with said sides, said loop having humps or projections formed in the sides thereof opposite to and extending toward said spring-tongue, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 9th day of April, A. D. 1900.

EDWARD CHRISTOPHERSEN, JR.

Witnesses:

GEORGE 000K, M. VAN NORTWIOK. 

